Matthew Kassel Fills Mediagazer Editor Slot

The former New York Observer staffer started Wednesday.

With Patricia Sauthoff completing her PhD studies and moving from the U.K. to India to start a teaching fellowship, website Mediagazer had a part-time editor position to fill. For many journalists, the site is their go-to equivalent of The Drudge Report, checked constantly throughout the day to ascertain the latest media-industry breaking news.

Stepping into Sauthoff’s slot is New York-based writer Matthew Kassel. He started officially on Wednesday and is editing the page alongsideLyra McKee and Andria Krewson.

“I trained for about a week,” Kassel tells FishbowlNY, “as the CMS has its own internal logic and takes a minute to figure out. My shift is variable, but it looks like, for the moment at least, it’ll be Mondays from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. (and then intermittently throughout the evening depending on what news pops up) and Thursdays and Fridays from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.”

“It’s been going well so far,” he adds. “I’m used to having my byline attached to things – and I’m still freelancing a lot – but there is something refreshing about being behind the scenes. I used to send my own stories to Mediagazer when I worked at the New York Observer (I got laid off in February, just before it seemed like a good career move to quit the place), and I never knew who saw the links. So it’s interesting to be on the other end. I feel kind of like a voyeur.”

Ha ha. Speaking of long, hard stares, we couldn’t help but wonder what the story is with Kassel’s great Twitter avatar (pictured above). “My mom drew it last October,” Kassel explains. “She’s a very talented artist with a whimsical eye, and she often turns people into rabbits when she’s sketching on the subway or wherever else. I like to think of my profile photo as one of those clubby New Yorker avatars that staff writers and contributors get, except mine’s cooler because I’m an animal, and I’m the only one who has it.”

For revenue, the Mediagazer family of sites, crowned by Techmeme, relies on sponsored posts and job ads.